TV has never been better. Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and Homeland are setting increasingly high standards, and while some shows rise to the occasion, other less popular ones are dying a slow death. How many times do we become invested in a series only to hear that it’s been cancelled? Reality TV shows are becoming more and more dominant every year, but what are we, as viewers, doing to stop their popularity? We might indeed be living through the golden age of television, but are we being spoiled? Is too much of a good thing bad? Year after year, excellent shows are being left on the scrapheap, unable to compete with the aforementioned ratings juggernaut Breaking Bad or the hugely popular The Walking Dead. Are studios, in their quest for the next big hit, missing out on some truly original shows?
Fringe, in my opinion, is one of the best TV shows of all time, yet it was very nearly cancelled a few times. Every year, fans breathed a sigh of relief when it was renewed for an extra season. Some shows just need time to develop but in Hollywood, time means money. Poor ratings or negative reviews can destroy a series before it’s even established itself and because of this, it’s getting extremely difficult to create a new show that instantly mesmerises an audience. It makes it even more tragic when a show like that comes around, only for it to be cancelled after one lousy season. Here are 5 TV Shows that should have got a second season.
5. Awake

Awake had one of the coolest concepts ever for a TV series but it still managed to get cancelled. The story revolved around homicide detective Michael Britten, whose life is split into two alternate realities after he and his family are involved in a car accident. In one reality, only Britten and his teenage son survive the crash, while in the other, Britten and his wife Hannah are the survivors. In each reality, Britten is not only consciously aware of the other, but is struggling to maintain his grip upon both.
I still can’t understand how this wasn’t a huge success, let alone it being cancelled after 13 episodes. It was basically Inception as a TV series! I will admit that the writers took their time in deciding which direction they wanted to take, but the potential of this show was immense. Jason Issacs was excellent as the leading character too. The ratings were fairly positive, but I think the main reason Awake failed was because it was too similar to Lost. Lost’s finale divided fans and I don’t think people wanted to invest in a similar program that was designed to add mysteries in every episode. The story did get a bit sloppy a few times, but it still deserved a second season based on the last few episodes alone.
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18 Comments
Not very original list considering you only picked shows that have been on air recently.
Try looking back a bit further:
Alien Nation
Police Squad
Brisco County, Jr
Profit
My So Called Life
Dark Shadows
American Gothic
Dark Skies
ect
Well I was going for a more recent list, as the older more well known shows that you suggested have been done to death by now. Also, I only really talked about shows I watched. From all of the above, I have only seen Police Squad which, in hindsight, I think I should have included. Thanks for the comment man
i would have liked to see 1 more series of Alcatraz. it was a bit long winded at times but i think the second series could have moved the storyline along much faster.
I REALLY liked Alcatraz. A lot of good shows got cancelled last year. I suppose the list could have included about 20 shows but I still feel that Terra Nova was amazing compared to Alcatraz.
Terriers was very good show with great perspective on further seasons, but it was canceled. such a shame
I had Terriers instead of FlashForward right up until the last minute. I liked it, but some of the episodes fell flat. Maybe season 2 would have righted those issues
I completely agree about Firefly, Joss Whedon is brilliant and even though Serenity helped a little, it would be perfect to have seen a second series materialise.
Ya, definitely. It’s funny to think how successful he’s become without it though. I mean, he could probably create a show starring Hulk Hogan as a killer clown and get it green-lit now.
I really enjoyed Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Perry and Whitford had great chemistry and it was sad to see their relationship cut short.
It was a great show man. Matthew Perry is seriously underrated.
110% agree with you on FlashFroward. I think the show was brilliant and if it were still on it would be my favorite show on TV.
Glad you agree! Were you a fan of Terra Nova too?
Everyone has that one show they could stand to see go on for at least one more season. I’m in agreeance with the pick of Studio 60, and I remember wanting more Dark Shadows, M.A.N.T.I.S and The Flash as a kid. Nowadays, I’d say Deadwood is the prime example, save Firefly, of a show cut down in its prime, and for Surfing Jesus nonetheless.
Terriers…definitely Terriers.
I always thought Deadwood was good, but it became depressing after a while. Did it really need to be go graphic? Don’t get me wrong, it’s an awesome show but I think the developers were their own worst enemies sometimes
No 666 park avenue?
I would agree with Awake, Firefly and Terra Nova. All were great shows with even more potential. Of them all, Firefly would have to be my favorite. I also agree that Alcatraz should be on this list. It had lots of unresolved issues and story lines to explore. Great Post.
Maybe I’m wrong but I heard somehow Firefly episodes were shown out of order? Idk how that could happen but I remember reading it somewhere in the vast world of the internet. And its not just Firefly-any show of Joss Whedon’s that’s on Fox-yeah don’t get attached it will get axed prematurely